Truth and Mischief rewrite
by Cinderfire16
Summary: Things get weird after the Battle of Manhattan, and the Avengers learn that not everything is as it seems. Not compliant with anything post-Avengers
1. Prologue: Waking Up

**Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you the official rewrite of Truth and Mischief! The original was rather sloppy and I didn't have a clear idea of where I wanted to take things. This is my chance to flesh out the story and improve my writing. While some of the key story points will remain, I think it will be written better and with more depth. As usual, please let me know if you have any questions or see any mistakes. I'm more than happy to reply to any comments offered. I hope you enjoy the story!**

 **Cinderfire**

* * *

 _They were celebrating. He'd allowed his employees to leave a few hours earlier than usual because he was going to be busy with the final preparations for Stark Tower. He personally didn't see the need for another building with his name on it. He had too many already. (Then again. not all of them were available to the public.) There was also the fact that Pepper had put a lot into the building. It had been her masterpiece and he wasn't going to begrudge her that. There was also the fact that he didn't have a place in the city (that anyone knew of) and hey, why not? He could always use more business. It's not like he'd have anything to lose from it._

" _Sir, Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D is on the line." JARVIS had to go and put a damper on the fact that he was cutting loose and enjoying a quiet night with his CEO/newly-christened girlfriend, Pepper Potts._

 _He shot her a panicked glance and she gave him a reluctant nod. She knew it was important, but did this really have to happen now?_

" _Leave a message." Tony groused. He didn't like when Fury went back on his word. Spy or not, he'd specifically told the one-eyed menace of a Director that he was not to be disturbed unless it was of the utmost importance. And to send this particular Agent when he knew,_ _ **he knew**_ _-!_

" _He insists that it's urgent."_

" _Then leave it urgently!" Tony rolled his eyes._

" _Sir-!"_

 _The elevator pinged and out stepped Agent Phil Coulson._

* * *

Tony?" Cap's worried face was a few inches too close to his own and were it not for the man's natural reflexes then one of them would have a nasty bump when he jerked into awareness.

"What the hell?!" He rasped.

The Hulk's hangover-worthy roar did no help for his weary state.

"What just happened?" He demanded. "Please tell me nobody kissed me!"

Captain America rose to his feet and nodded.

"We won." He confirmed. Iron Man sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the relief to wash over him.

"Alright, guys. We did it! Hey, let's just not come in tomorrow, yeah? Let's just take a day. Anyone ever heard of shawarma? There's a shawarma joint a few blocks from here. I don't know what it is but I wanna try it." Cap snorted and Thor chuckled. Their comrade had the strangest tastes.

"We're not finished yet." His ex-assistant's partner muttered darkly, jerking his head up to the battle-worn Tower. They literally got done building the thing not even a week ago. Pepper was going to be furious when she got back.

"And then shawarma after." He amended. There were some questions he needed answered.

The others were shocked at his sudden movements because they gaped openly as he took off for what used to be the living room. They would have to make their own way.


	2. Chapter 1: Introducing the Trickster

" _Loki" walked in, holding the scepter. Tony lopes in like he owns the place (which he does) and makes a beeline for the bar._

" _Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." That's when he definitely knew. "Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you."_

" _You should have left your armor on for that."_

" _Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"_

" _Stalling me won't change anything." He was gloating. Really?!_

" _No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one."_

" _The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" Oh, the evil monologue thing! Like Tony's never heard that one before. Let's see where this goes…_

" _The Avengers." The genius shot back. Bet you didn't see us coming, did you?_

" _It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team._ EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES _type of thing."_

" _Yes, I've met them." Tony grinned. This puppet still thought he had a chance? He wondered what exactly the Mad Titan's game was, but he'd have to play along for now._

" _Yeah, took us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one." He paused, allowing the Loki-wannabe to take it all in. Now it's his turn to monologue. At least he knows how to make up a speech on the spot._

" _But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demigod; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."_

" _That was the plan."_

" _Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. He made sure to put on the bracelets he recently made to call the armor just in case._

" _I have an army."_

" _We have a HULK."_

" _I thought the beast had wandered off."_

" _You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is_ no _version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."_

* * *

The words he'd said earlier thundered in his mind but he shoved them back. There were other things to attend to (because Tony Stark didn't worry about anything or anyone he didn't see as important. They were just words, after all.)

Instead, he focused on the problem that unfolded before him.

"Truly, you've outdone yourself, Anthony." The accented voice that drifted to his ears was the very same one that The Imposter used, and had his brother not spoken the way he did, Tony would have been hard-pressed to tell the difference.

"Please tell me you were on a mission."

The outfit he wore, standard SHIELD fare, black catsuit that managed to not look all that tight despite the lithe frame he sported, decorated with holsters pinned to his arms and legs. The newcomer aimed one of his larger guns at The Imposter while turning to roll his eyes at Tony.

"Indeed I was, and I'll not tell you much more than that."

"Was it out-of-state? Like, way out there? Better yet, you probably had to leave the country. Where'd you go?"

"I can't-."

"Loki!" Tony snapped. "This is important. Where exactly did your mission take place?"

"Small town in Mongolia. Between the border and Altay."

"Thank you." And thank the Norns that his voice didn't waver, because all he wanted to do was hug his brother and go to sleep.

"And who is this?" Loki snorted, gesturing to The Imposter with his gun. **Everyone's least favorite evil mastermind sent Earth a message.** Tony scowled. **Like we need this on top of everything else we're dealing with.** He groused.

 _Well then…_ "State your name." Loki ordered The Imposter.

"I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose." The alien growled back. Tony snorted, but Loki shot him a look.

 _It'd be best to kill this one quickly, then._ Loki insisted.

 **Let the Asgardians deal with him, for once.** Tony pleaded. **I'm sick of cleaning up after others, and if I never see one of those Norns-forsaken Chitauri brats, it'll be too damn soon.**

"Apparently we're not allowed to kill it." Tony deadpanned.

"Shame," Loki scoffed. "Fury it is, then. I am technically due for a debrief."

"About that…" Loki turned back at his brother's faltering words.

"What of it, Anthony?"

"You haven't watched the news, have you." Tony groaned.

"What part of 'small town in Mongolia' was incomprehensible to you?" Loki growled. "Get on with it!"

"The Chitauri were sent to retrieve the Tesseract and destroy the planet. They started one and never completed the other."

"Huh. No wonder this place looks like shit. Come to think of it, we were slowed down earlier… let me guess, this imp was supposedly the leader." Loki sneered. "Good thing I was out of the country, then. I can do a host of things, but being in more than one place for anymore than a matter of hours would have me exhausted far beyond this, I can assure you. Never mind the fact that I've not seen this armor before in my life."

"Who are you, that you dare lay claim to my brother's form?" Thor growled.

"My name is Loki, and unlike that rat-bastard over there, I am definitely not of Asgard. I might have called it home once, briefly, and the only thing I have come to miss of that wretched place is Queen Frigga. Possibly you, depending your mood. Sometimes you were just ridiculous."

"But if you're the Loki I remember, then who is this?"

"Chitauri, most likely. I left Asgard behind in my adolescence and the Mad Titan is most adept at disguises. That one wouldn't have worn off even in death." Loki explained.

"We still have a problem." Tony reminded his brother.

"Ah, yes, how to get out of here without being mobbed… teleportation?"

"You don't know where the Helicarrier is." Tony rebuffed almost instantly.

"Invisibility?"

"With this group? Doubt it."

"Why don't we just call Fury and get him to take care of it? Put on a show?"

"You'd be willing to put on a show?"

"Anthony, you insult me." Loki scoffed. "I'm _always_ down for a good show."

"Alright then. I'll see if I can get him on board."

Up until this point, the other five had been relatively quiet, all digesting the new information they were given.

"Stark," Natasha began firmly.

"Oh, right. Introductions. Guys, this is my older brother by… what is it, two, three minutes? Anyway, this is Loki. Mom actually did give birth to him, so don't bother claiming otherwise. We have tapes, but I don't feel like watching my own mother give birth. Anyway, whatever else you want to know can be handled once we've got this whole invasion shtick taken care of. Or you can ask Fury. Not sure how much he'll tell you but it's worth a shot. And here we are. Director, can you hear me?"

"Stark? Good, you're alive. Do you have the prisoner?"

"Yeah, among others."

"Your brother's back?"

"Yep."

"I'll send Maria."

"Thanks."

* * *

They waited on the launch pad for the suit. It took around an hour for the Quinjet to arrive and Agent Maria Hill greeted them at the ramp entrance.

"You're an idiot." She informed Tony.

"Don't start." The genius grumbled.

"Later, then." She insisted.

"Much, much later." He confirmed. "After I get things right I'll stop by the base and you can ream me out then." Tony offered. "We're also sparring." He insisted. "And then you and Pepper can do whatever it is that you and Pepper do."

"Throw in some of that lasagna and we've got a deal."

"Pick a date and tell Pepper." Tony yawned. "She'll be ecstatic."

"Agent Stark," She called a bit louder. Two heads snapped up with equally steady stares, and the brothers responded in harmony.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Senior." Hill muttered. "I forgot you still respond to that." She scoffed lowly. "Welcome back, Loki, was your mission successful?"

"I accomplished what I set out to do, Commander." Loki confirmed.

"I don't suppose you know why this alien thing is wearing your face?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I do have my suspicions. You'll hear at the debrief, no doubt."

* * *

 _Italics_ after the first passage are Loki's thoughts and **Bold** are Tony's. Also, thank you to Post U Later for being my first reviewer and continuing to have faith in me. Hopefully this version will be better. And Cling is totally rocking out to We Are The Champions as the others get in the freight elevator!

Cinderfire


	3. Chapter 2: The Debrief That Wasn't

The sight of The Avengers walking through the destroyed Helicarrier with two Lokis and Clint Barton in tow got the group more than a few glares. Tony glared right back, while Loki was determined not to give them even a hint of a reaction. At one particular insult, the genius behind the Iron Man suit was ready to show these people exactly why they picked the wrong group to mess with when Loki placed a hand on his armored shoulder.

"Do not give them the satisfaction of watching you squirm." The God of Mischief muttered to his brother.

"Harder than it looks." Tony groused. "It's not like you were the one leading the attack."

"Yes, but we are easily deceived, as we trust our senses to guide us. They know what they saw, and your glaring shall not tell them otherwise."

"It's still not fair." Tony insisted.

"It is life." Loki shot back.

The group found Fury on the bridge where they met at the beginning, overseeing the repairs to the ship as well as keeping operations going.

"Welcome back Avengers." He offered with a nod. Loki nudged the chained clone with his gun.

"Director Fury, may I present to you the presumed Loki of Asgard." The Trickster sneered.

Fury snorted and his lips twitched to resemble a smirk.

"Take him to one of the detention rooms and make of him what you want."

Loki grinned and Tony snickered.

"Restrictions, sir?"

"Keep him sane." The Director ordered. "He's supposed to be properly dealt with in Asgard."

"To be honest, I'm of a mind to have a few good words with Odin myself." Loki growled before he tugged The Imposter down a random hallway.

"Son of Stark-."

"If you must, then make like the Trickster and call me Anthony. Tony is my preferred name, if you were inclined to break your pattern of speech." The genius growled.

"Anthony, what is your connection to my home Realm, and why does my brother reside on Midgard?"

"That's a story for another time, Prince of Asgard. Preferably one with a shit-ton of alcohol."

"Do you mean my Realms harm?"

Here, Tony busted out laughing.

"Your Realms?" Tony sneered, eyes flashing gold before dulling to their normal brown. "Oh, you shall not dare lay claim to what has always been mine. Your father leading the Asgardians does not give you any more right than the President's daughters to Midgard, and Asgard would have fallen were you to take the reins as you once were bound. You would do well to think before you speak, godling."

"And who do you claim to be?!" Thor demanded. "You broke the staff with nary a flick of your hand, and one of your weapons decimated the army we struggled to defeat! Who are you to challenge my claim to the throne that is mine by birthright?!"

"Your birthright?!" And enter a completely pissed off Loki who just got done dealing with the bastard that destroyed his city while wearing his face. "Your so-called birthright was to sit upon a throne and look pretty while the Advisors did most of your work for you. You would speak briefly at meetings and lead your brethren to glorious slaughter, because that is all you were meant for."

And holy crap, the older of the two brothers wasn't holding back for shit!

"If I had stayed behind, I would be the one running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to clean up your mess and keep the Realms from falling apart because you have no tact, no head for proper strategy,and no respect for anyone who does not look like, sound like, and act like a proper Asgardian male."

Tony had to agree with him there. Honestly, the Asgardians were starting to turn out how everyone viewed the U.S. Arrogant for no reason and thinking they own the world. That had never been his intention and Loki was right. It was high time for a talk with the current ruler.

"You would be a puppet's king, because you lacked my skill for diplomacy and trying to teach you such would be tantamount to banging my head against a brick wall because Odin begged me to." He'd like to think that Thor's trip to Midgard had humbled the Crown Prince. From what he knew of the boy's attitude, he would not be tolerated by anyone who was even remotely Midgardian, much less an American. The people of Midgard were not raised to cower at the foot of the Asgardian throne. They had too much to do and too little time for such trivial nonsense. It was one of the many things he liked about the Realm.

"If anyone were stupid enough to let you run a Council session, things would fall apart faster than Huginn and Muninn could get word to Odin.

So forget about ruling Asgard, because as I feared, you have not changed in the slightest!" Loki roared.

"Are you quite done, Løgner?" Tony snickered.

"Indeed I am, for now." Loki growled. He nodded to a stoic-as-usual Fury and a slightly shocked Maria Hill. "Is there anything else you need of me or may I take my leave?"

"You should get some rest, Loki." Commander Hill smirked. "You're only that cranky when you're exhausted."

"She's right." Tony snorted. "I'll wake you up if anything happens."

"You know where to find me." Loki asserted and Tony nodded.

"We've got this covered, man."

Loki inhaled, nodded once, and disappeared in a flash of bright green light.

"Alright, Fury, what else is on your list for today? Can we push cleanup to tomorrow? I'm not going to be much help otherwise." Tony admitted. Despite what others might think, Tony was well aware of his limits.

"Feel free to disassemble." Fury offered. He knew at least half of them would require more than a few days to rest and restore their strength. Tony alone looked dead on his feet, and that was after actually having died. (And he would file that away in the "you idiot what have you done you nearly gave me a heart attack" file that took up a small corner of his mind and was added to every other day but for the most part ignored.)

"I'll be at the mansion if anyone needs me." The armored hero yawned and proceeded to wander outside without a thought.

The remaining five shifted on their feet, nervous and confused as they processed what just happened.

"Okay, then." Bruce muttered. "Could I possibly get a ride out of here or do you still want me around?"

And that seemed to get everyone out of the dazed stupor they were in and in a hurry to get as far away from all things SHIELD as possible.


	4. Rest up, there's more fun ahead

_Minor spoilers for Agents of SHIELD, but you don't need to watch the show to follow along. Just know that **#CoulsonLives** is so a thing and Fury was desperate enough to risk messing with his mental health. Anyway, here we go with Chapter 4!_

* * *

Pepper found Tony at Stark Mansion, courtesy of a call from Commander Hill telling her so. She reminded herself that they'd need to talk later, possibly over some of Tony's homemade Italian. He was such a good cook when he put his mind to it…

At any rate, she was frantic as she searched the floor for him, relieved when she found him on a couch in one of the many sitting rooms, suit discarded in a pile in the floor.

"Oh, Tony…" She choked out.

She kicked off her shoes and crept over to the couch. She hovered for a few moments, taking in how still her partner was, despite the fact that she could hear him breathing.

Apparently she stared for too long because Tony popped an eye open and his face lit up when he caught her gaze. She sat on the couch and wrapped her arms around him, shifting so that they both laid comfortably, and she buried her face in his chest.

"Hi." He mumbled sleepily. She squeezed him closer and kissed his neck.

"Swear you won't laugh if we fall." She murmured. "I'm not letting go for a while."

His answering laugh shook her frame and she snuggled further into his shirt.

"Well of course I wouldn't." He assured her. "Goodnight, Pep."

"Night, Tony."

His actual thoughts (Well I'd catch you of course, darling mine, but why would we let go in the first place?) went unsaid. He was tired, and Norns forbid Tony Stark have a poetic bone in his body. No, he'd much rather show her.

* * *

Tony awoke to comfort, surprisingly enough, and Pepper's presence was reassuring. He was alive and they were going to be okay. A look around told him that they were at the Mansion, and Pepper was still sleeping. He sat up and glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. It was noon of the next day.

"Pepper, wake up. We slept half the day away."

"And we're going to sleep the rest of it." She mumbled tiredly, tugging at his shirt.

"Well I'll be more than happy to do so in an actual bed." He grumbled, twisting to get rid of the numbness that shot up his spine.

"I'm tired." Pepper groaned.

"And you'll be sore if we don't get to something made for actual sleeping. I can carry you, if you want."

"No, you're probably worse off than I am." The redhead murmured, guilt sharpening her tone. "Let's go."

* * *

The second time Tony woke up, he was in one of the king-sized guests beds that adorned the many rooms on this floor. Pepper was still asleep, by the looks of it, long red hair matted between the pillow and her back. Her face was more relaxed than he'd seen it in a long time, and he hoped she stayed that was for a while. She deserved at least the day off, but that would be unlikely, considering there was SI to run and cleanup was probably underway already. Tony himself often slept in spurts, so he was slightly shocked to find that the clock by his side of the bed read 8:59 PM. He couldn't tell what day it was, but it can't have been long since they fell asleep.

"It's Sunday." Loki's voice drifted from the chair in the corner, quiet, and exhausted.

The last Tony remembered, it was Friday. So he was wrong on the not sleeping long part. He should get to Fury, he should-.

"You're thinking too loud." Pepper murmured, shifting so she could face him, sleep clouding her eyes.

"Good morning, Loki."

"Evening, Lady Potts. I shall take my leave now."

"You can stay, if you want. Pick a bed. We all need sleep."

"Not just yet, Pepper." Loki mumbled. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

With that, Tony's brother trudged out of the room and Pepper drifted back to sleep with a regretful noise. It wasn't long before Tony found himself doing the same.

* * *

Avengers Assemble: Truth and Mischief

* * *

A few days later had everything up and running. Tony had repaired most of the damage to his suits and was an active participant in both construction and rescue efforts of the city cleanup. As were the rest of the Avengers. Things went slowly with construction, although there weren't too many people missing and the aid workers were doing overtime, keeping everyone alive. He and the team split up according to their strengths and got to work. Bruce came as Hulk every other day and lumbered off with Clint to find missing people. When he wasn't Hulk, he was helping administer basic first aid.

After almost two weeks of running themselves ragged, the teams insisted that there wasn't much the heroes could do and practically shoved them out the door. SI continued to host the food and medical facilities on the first few floors, which, luckily, had barely sustained cosmetic damage.

The new plans for the Tower included space for the Avengers. Tony wouldn't tell them until much later, when they were ready, but the top 10 floors would be converted to living spaces. Goodness knows with the skyscraper being one of the tallest that there would be enough space to house everything. Pepper was wary about the idea, as much as she was concerned for her fiancé's physical and mental health. She wanted this to work out, but people were finicky at best and she didn't want to see the crushed look on his face if they all dared to say no. He then told her that he would introduce them to the new place slowly, let them get used to things before throwing the offer in their faces. Pepper liked that idea far better, and he was glad she agreed. Besides, either way they weren't completely alone. There was always Loki or Fury or Maria or- no, Phil was gone. The last he'd ever see of the man would be at his funeral, and that's if the family would even mind him being there… Norns, the last he'd seen of the latest member of his SHIELD family, Phil was walking backwards out the door and wishing him the best as he escorted Pepper to the airport.

"Fuck." He muttered.

"What's up?" Pepper asked, one eyebrow raised and a growing look of alarm on her face.

"It's not an emergency. At least, there's nothing we can do about it… Phil's dead, Peps. At least, they say he is."

"What… what does that even mean?!" Pepper snapped. "Is he dead or not?!"

"He got injured in the attack on the Helicarrier. The Imposter stabbed him through the chest with that spear, the one connected to the Tesseract, and it would have been fatal."

"But…"

"There was a mission I went on with him and Maria, a while ago, when he was still new. He was fatally injured then, too."

"You healed him."

"Maria begged me to, and I couldn't just let him die."

"Are you connected to him like you are Fury or Maria?"

"I felt his life force, and got glimpses of what he was thinking when it happened. I thought I shut that down but-."

"It was an emergency and he was probably clinging to whatever shred of life he could find. He won't blame you. But is he alright?"

"He's been critical so far. Fury injected him with some alien stuff they found, apparently if has healing properties but it's got side effects. Memory loss, insanity, the works. Phil was actually the one who shut the original project down."

"Good on Phil. He's gonna be pissed when he wakes up." Pepper snorted.

"I convinced Fury to lay off the brain surgery they were going to do. I contacted one of the doctors and it looks like it would do more harm than good."

"No wonder you've been so tired lately. I thought you were still sleeping off the Invasion and the cleanup, but it looks like you've been pretty busy. Does Maria know? Or Hawkeye and Widow?"

Here, Tony looked sheepish and he scratched the back of his neck.

"Tony…"

"Fury hasn't told them yet. We don't know if he's out of the woods and it'd be cruel to make them go through that twice."

"She'll be pissed!" Pepper scoffed. I'd rather know you were alive and watch you for myself than hear it from someone else and miss that chance. They deserve to know."

"That's not just my choice to make, though. I'm out of SHIELD and I was never his SO to begin with. I can't make a decision. Not when it's something as dangerous as this could turn out to be."

"Then convince Fury to let you tell them. They deserve to know and he has to respect that!" Pepper urged.

"I'll do my best." Tony muttered. "But no promises. Dad's finicky on the best of days. Now his right-hand man is laid up and not getting any better… he's not going to want to hear this."

"I'll come with you, if that's what it takes."

"For Fury? No need, but you might be able to help me with the other three."


	5. Chapter 4: Confrontations and Revelation

Tony took Pepper to the Helicarrier the next day and led her to Fury. They entered to find the man listening to someone rant down the other end of the phone and when he was done, he hung up and folded his hands together, sitting up straight.

"Agent Stark, Ms. Potts. What can I do for you?"

"I told her about that idea for your right hand. She's got a few concerns."

"Close the door, please, Agent."

Tony did as he was told and Fury shifted his gaze to Pepper.

"Please, state your… concerns and any accommodations will be made provided they are within reason."

"If you'd be willing, I would like for the agents he was around most of know about his status."

"And by that you mean Agents Hill, Barton and Romanoff, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"To be honest, I was considering telling them myself, but I don't know how much better Agent Coulson will get over the next few days. I don't know if I can take the risk."

"With all due respect, sir, they deserve to know."

Fury sat back in his chair and deliberated, fingers drumming against the metal desk.

"And they will." He decided. "Was there something else?"

"I understand Tony asked you to forgo any further treatment to Phil other than the necessities… I have to agree with him on that, sir. Do you know enough about what you're giving him to risk tampering with his mind like that?"

Fury inhaled and the breath left as a low growl.

"Do you want an actual answer to that?"

"That would be preferred, sir. He's a friend of mine and I would like for him to be alright."

"The brain surgery is to restore his memories in case the drug doesn't go as planned." Fury informed her. "We do not know all of the effects but Phil is being monitored daily."

"What if there was another way?" Tony blurted out, having come to a conclusion.

"Is there?" Fury asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I don't use it much, but the mind link with Phil is still active. If he starts losing anything, I could fill in the blanks with what I know. So can you and Agent Hill. It's safer than the brain surgery, less invasive. He won't regret it as much."

"I'll consider it." Fury offered. "Now, I do believe you have a sparring session scheduled sometime soon. If would be bad form to keep Agent Hill waiting."

"Right, like she hasn't done the same to me only a million times." Tony scoffed.

"Are you coming, Pep? You can sit with Fury and have him give you a breakdown, if you want. Despite his appearance, he's pretty good at spotting." Tony smirked.

"If you don't mind, I would like that." Pepper nodded.

* * *

When they got to the gym, they were greeted by the sights and sounds of a training session. Several pairs of junior agents were going at it under the watchful eyes of Maria Hill and Jasper Sitwell.

Tony watched, face impassive as the instructors barked out suggestions in the form of orders, noticing Fury place a hand on Pepper's shoulder and lead her to a part of the gym that wasn't being used and had several seats for them to choose from. He was paying more attention to the girl who had taken a place directly in front of Sitwell with her partner. The young man tried to trip her, but failed and got a kick to the leg for his trouble. From there, she flipped herself around, using his weight against him and barely giving him time to recover before she backed up and slammed him into the ground. From there, she let go and crept toward the two instructors.

"Well done, both of you." Agent Hill offered to the pair as the boy got to his feet, the girl watching him warily. "It would have been harder for her to do that twisting move if you'd worked on your balance a bit more, Agent Larson, and while jerking your opponent around does give you the advantage with an enemy, Agent Coleman, we generally try not to break each other's bones."

The pair nodded and went to sit where Fury and Pepper resided. Tony chose then to make himself known.

"That's not what I remember learning at all." He snorted as he loped over to the instructors. Sitwell grimaced and Hill smirked.

"I mean, she was absolutely right in telling Coleman to back off, because that was a dirty trick, perfect for actual combat, but you gotta tell her the real reason she shouldn't be doing that move. C'mon back here, you two!" Tony called, much to Sitwell's obvious frustration.

"Mr. Stark-." The bald man ground out. "What are you playing at?"

"You'll see." He offered. When the junior agents were back in their place, Tony had them set up again.

"Now, what she didn't tell you was that had there been any more force in your push or he'd well and truly lost his balance? It would have been game over for him, Black Widow style. That wasn't your intention, but keep in mind that most of what you're being taught can be used to kill in the right (or wrong) way. Other than that, smart move in using his weight against him. Just try a less head-splitting one."

"How do you know so much about SHIELD?"

"I shadowed my brother when I was younger. Stay in the game long enough and you pick up a few things."

"Brother?"

"He goes by Loki. Maybe you've heard of him." Sitwell deadpanned. Tony didn't like the guy, but he had to give credit where credit was due. He knew history.

"Loki? You mean the alien maniac who tried to take over the city a month ago?" One of the junior agents sneered.

"An imposter, I assure you." His brother's voice alarmed some of the agents into standing at attention as Loki popped out from one of the vents to his shoulders, uniform covered in dust.

"What the hell have you been up to?" Agent Hill snickered.

"Ah, not much. Making sure the vents are in order, filling my weekly quota of scaring the junior agents out of their wits, the usual." Loki smirked. "I assume this is a training session?"

"It was until you Starks showed up." Sitwell grumbled. "Then we turned into a laughingstock."

"Ah, calm yourself, Sitwell. These kids'll learn whether you actually teach them what they need to know or not." Here, Loki flipped down from the vents and came to a halt directly in front of the unmoved instructor, much to the shock and horror of the junior agents in the class.

"After all, you, Coulson and Hill did just fine."

"And look where hanging with you two idiots got him!" Jasper spat out, all hope of composure lost. "Agent Coulson is dead. And Maria is lucky she hasn't died already."

"Commander Hill was trained, Agent Sitwell." Loki growled.

"Oh, you think you're so scary, do you?" Sitwell sneered. "With that attitude, it's no wonder you drove your brother straight to Hydra. If you can even call him that. Everyone knows you're not really brothers."

Tony began to stalk toward the two, but Agent Hill tapped his arm and shook her head. Loki was far more capable than he in handling SHIELD agents, and if he hadn't done something then there had to be a reason. "Just like everyone knows that you led those fucked up aliens that attacked the city. What do you have to say about that?" Sitwell scoffed.

"Oh, I don't know." Tony sneered, prying Maria's hand from his arm as gently as he could before confronting Sitwell. "I've got plenty to say about it. Especially that Hydra one. So not true, to be honest. Don't know where the fuck that shit came from. And that Invasion crap. Don't get me the fuck started on that shit because seeing my brother's face when I knew he was halfway around the world was just creepy as fuck. As for the rest of that…"

Tony didn't give the other man any warning before Sitwell was on the ground, howling in pain after a few quick jabs to the neck and torso that he could barely see. Then he knelt by the man's head.

"If you ever approach my brother with anything but the respect he deserves after being the one to save your miserable life… well, you'll wish I'd killed you instead." Tony smirked (as Sitwell struggled for air) and rose to his feet in a fluid move. A kick in the right spot had Sitwell gasping for breath as he rolled onto his side.

"By the way, that was a good fight you put up, buddy. I'm surprised you even lasted that long." Tony grinned sharply.

"Fuck you!" Jasper choked out.

"Nah, I'm good. I don't wanna know what diseases your ugly mug's got."

He snorted as he loped back toward where Pepper and Fury sat. Maria fell into step at his right and Loki to his left.

"You can't just go around knocking everyone out like that. We're not kids anymore, Tony. People look up to us and how are we supposed to get them to trust and respect us when you go around pulling that out of your ass on a daily basis?" Maria hissed.

"For one thing, that was a special occasion and Sitwell deserved it. If I was wrong then Fury would have stopped me. Also, we need to talk."

"Yes we do- wait… what about?"

"Follow me." Fury growled, glancing warily at Maria and Loki before leading the group of four out of the room.

* * *

Hill slapped Fury. Fury let her. Tony laughed his ass off. Loki watched Coulson, somewhere between shocked and relieved.

Phil Coulson was alive. Phil Coulson was staring right back at Loki, a smirk on his face. Phil Coulson was whole.

"He's alive!" Maria whispered, staring anxiously at her friend.

"Yeah, kid." Tony muttered. The look on her face was almost the same as the one she wore a few decades ago, her shock was clear as he ran ran ran…

He shook himself out and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Pepper wondered.

"Need to clear my head." He offered. "You should stay with Maria."

Pepper didn't know her way around the Helicarrier and trouble wasn't far away.

* * *

"Please don't touch that." Someone's grip on his wrist made him swing without question. They dodged, lucky them, and caught his other wrist in their other hand.

"Phil?" Tony mumbled. Not everyone knew to do that, basic defense move though it was, and not anyone could just go near him without him noticing. He shook himself out and the other person waited a few moments before letting go and pushing him away from where he previously stood with as little force required to do so.

"I'm afraid not, sir. Agent Coulson is dead, sir."

"Yeah, yeah. I knew that. Where am I?"

"This is the engine room, sir. The staff have been trying to catch your attention for the last 20 minutes, but…"

"I was out of it. Well, thank you for not letting me sink the ship. I'm sure Fury will greatly appreciate it. Although now that I look at it, I know I didn't mess with it but there were a few issues with the engines before."

Like the fact that he should not have been able to restart them because they should not have been neutered by one freaking arrow! Virus-filled though it was.

"Feel free to take that up with the staff when we next dock."

"We'll see." Tony muttered, following the agent out of the sweltering heat maze of the engine rooms.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Agent Blake Welton, sir."

"Well, Blake, want some lunch?"

"Excuse me?"

"You just saved an entire behemoth ship's worth of people and equipment. I think that at least deserves a snack break. So, lunch?"

"Sure?"

"Great. Pick a date and tell Pepper." Tony yawned. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my people."

"Follow me, then, Mr. Stark. I can take you to Fury's office."

"Thanks, Welton. That'd be awesome."

* * *

"This kid deserves an award or something." Tony announced when he and Blake Welton found everyone in Fury's office.

"What'd he do, talk back?"

"Saved the ship, actually. Tell 'em what happened, kid."

"Um… I was… I was on rotation near the engine room and I heard shouting. I asked my partner, Livelen, to keep standing guard while I checked it out. Turns out, Mr. Stark was in the engine room and he seemed to be in some kind of… daze? I don't think it was a panic attack, I've had those before. I don't know what it was, but he couldn't hear them even though they were trying to get him to stop what he was doing. He just kept circling the engine and when he finally got out, it looked like he was going to disconnect them because he started to press buttons. I got him to pay attention, so lucky me that his stupor wore off or I would've been deader than dead. He thought I was Agent Coulson. I told him otherwise and he asked me to escort him here. I…" Here, he turned to Tony. "Why would I get an award?"

"Because I'm almost positive that they fixed the ship, to some extent, and what I was seeing was what happened during the whole alien thing. That was not fun times." He muttered. "At any rate, ya did good, kid. Bringing people back to the present is a handy skill, around here. May you never have to use it again."

"I should be so lucky." Blake scowled. "Were you serious about lunch, Mr. Stark?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. Probably sometime next week. Depends on Pepper, really."

"I'm sure we can make some arrangements for Mr. Welton to accompany us. What's your favorite food?"

"I… I've never had a sub from around here." Blake admitted shyly, ducking his head.

"Take me with you!" Loki and Maria chorused. Welton glanced up, surprised.

"What can I say? I'm always down for a good sandwich." Hill smirked. "And these two know some of the best places around the city."

"Cool? If you'll excuse me, I should probably get back to guard duty."

"Hill can tell you when we're going, then." Tony insisted. "And thank you."

Blake jerked a nod and scurried off. Livelen wouldn't believe this!

"That was nice of you." Pepper mused when the kid was out of earshot.

"It was true." Tony muttered darkly. He couldn't keep having these attacks in public places. They would ruin him, and possibly other people. People who had done nothing but be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This can't keep happening." Tony admitted aloud.

"I have a few suggestions you might want to add to your list." Fury offered.

"Please and thank you. I don't care that it was a flashback. I know they'll happen and there's nothing I can do about it. I almost sent this thing to the bottom of the ocean because my sleepwalking has resumed with a vengeance and now they're combined with my nightmares."

* * *

 **More of Tony's past with SHIELD comes to light. As he said, Tony worked with the agency as a teenager, most notably the time between when he graduated from school (let's put it at a few years earlier than canon say, 17?) And when he took over Stark Industries. Loki is a full-time SHIELD agent. The Imposter is a Chitauri spy with a glamour that neither Heimdall nor Odin could get past because neither can See that far out and the Realms don't have that much experience with what's outside their solar system. Factor in the part where almost no one goes to the library and I think you can forgive their confusion. Any questions?**

 **\- Cinderfire**


	6. Chapter 5: New Intel for an old mission

**I am so sorry for the hiatus this took! All I can say is that life happened and I have things more on track now. Hope you enjoy these next few chapters!**

 **-Cinderfire**

* * *

Things seemed to settle down after that. Tony and Pepper kept up with Maria as often as they could, considering their lives, and Loki had been sleeping in his old room more often.

The second version of Stark Tower was well underway and reconstruction wouldn't take as long as it did the first time because the building was structurally sound and while it did take more than a few hits, the problems were more along the lines of redecoration. Interior design was going to be a pain in the ass, for sure, but they had enough time and money to get everything replaced.

(Tony thanked the Norns every day that the building's opening had been pushed back a week. He wouldn't have been able to cope if he found out any of the employees who were set to work at the Tower had perished in an attack they had no hopes of defending against.)

* * *

"Agent Stark," Tony's eyes widened at the familiar voice and his head snapped up. So Phil was allowed to be up and around and this is the first place he chooses?

"Did you just call Tony an agent?" Steve asked. The American icon had returned from his year-long road trip with tales to tell and accepted the genius' offer of a place to stay. A house was not a home when there was no one to share it with and Tony, Pepper, and Loki were welcoming enough. Tony had even managed to get Dr. Banner to reside in the giant Tower, a feat on its own.

"I do believe that I was the one being addressed. We are brothers, after all." Loki offered. Steve had initially doubted that Loki was who he said, but the man seemed to have some connection to Tony and surely no one would let him get this close without knowing him. He decided to let it be.

"We need you both to come in."

"Whatever for?"

"Fury has a mission."

"It's been a long time since Cyclops has needed me for anything." Tony mused. His last mission for SHIELD took place in his early 20's, when he hadn't been nearly so famous as he was now. It hadn't gone well, and the burden of running SI had given the former agent exactly the out he needed.

"I am to assure you that it is worth your time." Phil informed the pair as he reached into his jacket and presented the folder.

It was a testament to how much he trusted the man that Tony took the packet and began to skim through and in that moment, Pepper was glad. Trust didn't come easy for him, and a few of the people he did trust ended up betraying him. She'd always hoped that Phil would make a good friend.

Her thoughts were disrupted when Tony yelped and dropped the portfolio as thought it were made of lava.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" The billionaire whispered, staring at the scattered papers on the ground. Loki picked up the folder and browsed through its contents. His other hand clenched reflexively upon seeing exactly what had his brother so stunned.

"Were they actually found?" He demanded.

"They are believed to be among those we will find." Phil responded nervously.

Tony narrowed his eyes.

"But why would Fury approach me?"

"Director Fury figured that you would want to know."

"How long has this been going on?" He demanded. "And I need to know who else Fury has contacted. Does all of SHIELD know or just the American branch? We may act like we own the world but it's not just our people at risk here."

"All branches have been contacted, Mr. Stark. Fury was of the same state of mind you are now. How far this dates back is undetermined but there is still plenty of potential evidence to go through." Phil reported, confident that no one was going to react violently.

"Who else does Fury have on this?"

"A team of SHIELD agents handpicked by their respective branches has come up with a plan to infiltrate the bases we've found. We have everything we need to go through with this plan, Mr. Stark."

"Then why involve us?" Loki pondered the agent's words as feelings long dormant raced through his veins.

"Don't get your hopes up. We have no idea what we might find." Tony warned. He long awaited the day he could find the little girl he'd been responsible for in his youth as much as Loki was desperate to see his wife and (then unborn) child. False hopes would crush his brother beyond repair, and the last downward spiral the elder Stark had gone through was not pretty.

"I know that I'm going to find my wife, Anthony; whether you're along for the ride is up to you."

Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Tell Fury I'm in; if only to stop this idiot from going in guns blazing and trying to take everything down himself."

"I'll need you to come with me so you can be properly debriefed." Phil informed them, ever the agent.


	7. Chapter 6: Preparing to Board

When I first wrote the original of this story, there was a one-shpt that I'd come across that described the relationship between Tony and Phil exceedingly well. This still stands, and so I will always be grateful to and give credit to obsessivereader95 for letting me intersperse her story with my own. My original endorsement was way more enthusiastic, so here it is:

 **"Thank you SO MUCH** obsessivereader95 **for letting me use your story** _How to Save A Life_ **! It helped me get my point across BRILLIANTLY! For those of you reading,** _go look up that story and read it in its entirety_ **. I'm not even kidding. Go now. This is the backbone for why Phil and Tony are such good friends and why Loki was so concerned in the beginning. The friendship will make appearances throughout the story so keep watch for that. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 _Flashback (How to Save A Life by obessivereader95)_ **My inserts.** Story."

* * *

Tony jumped off the copter and onto the Helicarrier flanked by Coulson (who is in turn flanked by Clint) on his right and Loki and Natasha to his left. For some odd reason that not even the best of SHIELD can fathom, his eyes have changed from brown to red and his expression is like ice. Fury takes one look at him and knows that he is no longer doing business with Tony Stark.

"Agents," He motioned them over to the gathering horde of people who are all fixated on one thing or another; mostly papers, spreadsheets that no doubt contain information for their mission, which is still unknown to the Hawk and the Spider. It scares them, Tony realizes. Not knowing what they've been signed up for, but they'll deal with it as he's had to learn how, or they'll be of no use. That's not what SHIELD molded them to be. They will adapt.

"Welcome back, Agent Stark."

"Who would have thought that I'd miss this stupid place?" Tony asked in conversation. Fury rolled his eyes.

"Once you're a SHIELD agent you never really give that up." The one-eyed menace offered.

"True," Loki mused, having taken up for the silently fuming Tony. He did not want to be here. This so-called agency held memories. The kind that were supposed to be locked away in the deepest corners of that little black Pandora's box that was hidden in the darkest recesses of his mind, not to be dragged up again by the likes of the bastards they were currently after!

"It's for a cause," He muttered more to himself than to the others around him.

"A noble one indeed." Loki murmured his consent.

They are introduced to their respective groups and the teams go over the final plans for attack.

The Invasion has begun.

* * *

 _Darkness was beginning to engulf the edges of Tony's vision, grey spots popping in and out of view. The burning pain of the palladium coursing through his veins and arteries was creeping along his neck, forcing his posture into ramrod straightness uncommon in a sick person's usual manner._

 **He tried not to let it get to him again, those particular memories from that particular time (when he thought he was going to die.) Tony Stark did not take Death very well. Lucky him he wasn't Tony Stark; Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist. He was Tony's** _ **other half**_ **, if you would. He was what few had seen and he took Death just fine, thank you very much.**

 _SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson watched the genius work with morbid curiosity. This was a man in the throes of death, barely clinging to life through the low-dosages of anti-palladium. As the agent swiftly took in his charge's stiffness, he sighed. Tony Stark seemed reluctant to ask anyone else for help. Coulson was sure that, had he not been coerced by a SHIELD agent with a tazer to save his own life, he would have already given up. It seemed the sarcastic man had already lost hope of ever regaining his health._

 **Weak! He was weakened by that stupid human poison and it addled his brain! Why had he not fought back, done something?! He shouldn't have had to rely on the (undead) agent from SHIELD to revive him only for him to work himself (to an unseemly) death once again!**

 _Stark's posture suddenly slumped. Coulson leapt into action, syringe (filled to the brim with the mysterious substance that gave temporary relief) poised and ready in his hand. Stark's body was starting another seizure in reaction to the foreign palladium. Coulson winced at the sight of the darkening, visible veins running up his neck and into his hairline. He administered the shot quickly and efficiently, and then backed away before the genius could wake up again._

 _When he'd found out what the agent had done he'd raged at the man for hours, blue eyes blazing._ " **I am Anthony Edward Stark!" He'd snarled. "You do not go anywhere near me! You definitely do not stick me with… whatever the hell that shit was! I just… no! Get out of my sight!"**

 _Later, when a furious director questioned him about allowing Stark to leave, his only response was, "He needed it."_

 _He was reassigned immediately. Stark seemed mildly disappointed._

 _These "episodes," as Tony called them, were becoming more frequent and more dangerous. Tony was starting to forget things that mattered. He would often wake to find himself in the agent's arms, being towed to a small but luxurious cot in the corner. If it got to be that bad, Coulson usually had to sit next to him and remind him what he was doing, why he was doing it, and for whom he needed to do it. Reading up on the reports, the SHIELD agent had thought that Stark would want to live for himself or to spite someone. As hours wore on, he found out that the billionaire needed to be reminded of Pepper, Rhodey, and the heartbreak that he would leave in his wake if he were to disappear off the face of the Earth again._

It was sad, really, Phil would reflect during the ride to their drop point. What he'd had to do to get the man to live. He hadn't needed to do that for anyone, not even Barton or Romanoff. Sure he talked them down but they hadn't needed such… prodding? Reason? He didn't know what to call it. It was just another secret. One that he would take to his own grave.

 _As a field agent, he did not (could not) let himself become attached to the man, but as Phil Coulson he felt an unnecessary amount of hope that the dying genius would pull through. Tony Stark, the billionaire and world-class playboy, began to slip away, leaving a modern-day genius struggling to cling to life for the sake of two people who thought he was just being more irresponsible than usual and a world that thought he only cared about his ego and alcohol._

 **He didn't, by the way. Life was far more than that would ever mean. EVER. Anyone who dared to say otherwise could go jump off a cliff. He had more to worry about than the ridiculous opinions of others. They could burn for all he cared.**

 _Half an hour later, he plunged it into the shaking and prone figure in the chair facing the projector screen. The tremors stopped instantly, and Tony slumped into the cushions. Coulson backed away into his corner, nervously flicking the side of the needle before capping it. Stark sat up slowly, looking around in a slightly disoriented fashion. Tony's eyes fixed on the screen and then looked down at something in his fingers. Coulson walked discreetly up the stairs and sat on a couch in one of the upstairs living rooms. When Tony made his way up another half hour later, the SHIELD agent tried his best to feign sleep._

(Of course, the genius saw through it **and shrugged it off. He didn't need the man but he was glad someone still cared. Even if it had been forced. So he** whispered a soft "thanks" before taking his leave.)

Fury hadn't given up yet, and if Fury believed in him, everyone but the council would follow to Stark's last, dying breath.

Tony jerked out of the memory, one of Coulson saving his life (over and over and over again… like Loki often had when they weren't so terrible.)

"Get ready to unload," The pilot offered. "The drop zone is a few minutes out."

He thought he'd repaid his debt to Coulson when Captain America was found in the ice (but then again, that didn't count.) So why was the agent still around? He hadn't done his job and left like he was supposed to. Had probably disobeyed orders to stay friends. Tony couldn't wrap his head around why, and at the moment, didn't want to. He had lives to save.


	8. Chapter 7: D-Day

They went in guns blazing, all units at the exact same time. He couldn't account for the many others who risked their lives around the world for what he considered his cause, but the unit he worked with swarmed the place. All the action faintly reminded him of D-Day. Of course, while the real D-Day had been far more brutal, the sentiment still stood. The world was united at war over a cause that involved far more than just him. He was not the only one who lost someone. He scoured the large cave-like structure alongside twenty others while the rest took care of the offenders. (He tried to forget that he absolutely detested caves and focused on why this was happening.) They had to find those kids.

Everything was going as well as could be expected for the mission, and he knew that someway, somehow, it would not last. Someone would be forgotten. Something would get blown up. The mission would fail. He didn't like that feeling of failure. As it were, he was leading a group of the captured (He couldn't rightfully call them children when more than half of them were proper adults. He briefly wondered how far this spanned back but squashed the thought with a vengeance. He was holding off the breakdown for as long as he could. No need to speed it up.) through the maze of caverns and narrow passages that were dark and small and-. Light! He breathed a sigh of relief when he caught sight of the SHIELD emblem that marked the transportation. They had considered his advice when he mentioned the amount of overflow there might be.

He found that the agents who had been tasked with the same objective had all found their way out of the… place with everything and everyone as intact as they could ever be, given their situation. Nothing could afford to go wrong on this mission. (Granted not everyone walked. Most of the people who walked aided or carried others entirely. Half of them were close to collapse or unconscious. It was a pathetic sight, and something near his chest twisted.)

"Stark!"

"Yes, sir?"

"I just got word of a graveyard of some sort. One of the women we found was searching for a child that had been cast out. I need you two to get the woman and if possible, the child."

He noticed something off about Loki's voice when they responded and could easily guess the one person the former Asgardian was actively searching for but had not found. It would be just his luck too…

He got there before Loki did, and that was a feat all its own, only to be sent in a state of panic as the woman prepared to jump over the rail to what he assumed was a giant pit.

"Wait!" He called, pushing himself to go faster before the person did something stupid.

"You don't want to do that. That's a suicide mission." The woman whipped around to glower at him and he knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"What's down there anyway?"

"The dead, Anthony." His brother's wife responded. "This is where people are left when they are not of use."

He peered over… and immediately wished he hadn't. The sight was horrible. A lot like the camps he'd seen in his former life, if not a million times worse… Bodies were tossed carelessly, one on top of the other, twisted at odd angles, covered in various fluids from who knows what. Sickness ran rampant and the smell of death was so prominent that he knew all the showers in the world wouldn't get the stench off his mind.

Sigyn jumped the rail while he was lost in the horrific scene, and something close to a yowl tore from his throat. A hand on his shoulder assured him that Loki had indeed found his way and that hand tightened in increments until Loki had Sigyn back in his sights. She carried a significantly smaller form that Tony noted to be unconscious, but not dead. He could still see the faint rise and fall of the boy's chest. Not dead, but close, he mused as the trio raced out of the maze-like system of caves. Apparently Sigyn knew that because she put on a burst of speed at the first sign of light.

* * *

That feeling Tony had that something would go wrong? It intensified and Tony rammed himself into Loki, who dragged Sigyn in turn. He watched as the two of them staggered toward the last few cars that had waited for them. They were lucky to have gotten there before the bombs, left by the assholes who dared to run this place, sank the caves further into the ground.

Loki turned back as soon as he had realized what was wrong. Anthony wasn't there! He watched in horror as the cavernous structure crumbled and burned with Tony still inside.  
"Come on, Loki," Sigyn murmured. "He's Rekkefølgen." She murmured. Remember your other half? You can't survive that but he can. Remember what you'd tell him when you were both younger?"

"If… either one of us is lost, we have to stay where we are or… g- go where we know we'll be found."

"We're heading back to his home and he'll know that. We can't stay here, Loki." She sighed reluctantly. She wanted to find her savior as much as he needed to find his brother.

"Alright." He muttered.

"He's alive. You know that much. Hold on to that."

* * *

Tony awoke to smoke-filled lungs and something crushing down on his chest, which was not a good feeling and that shit needed to stop right this damned second!

He pushed at what felt heaviest. It took him a few (okay, like a million,) tries but he managed to get himself free… only to find that the cave was crumbled rock, open air and not a soul in sight. Good. He hoped the bastards who dared to organize whatever this was could freeze in their own personal Hell. He got to his feet, tired to the point where he just wanted to collapse, and started walking. This wasn't Afghanistan. There was no extraction plan. They sure as hell weren't looking for him. He would be lucky if he could find food or water in this desolate place. What felt like hours later, he came across what could be classified more as a village than a town, and hoped to God that they had some form of communication. He'd take a string and a can if it could connect him to somewhere. {Preferably Pepper. But he knew he wouldn't have that luxury.}

He trudged up to the first house and knocked on the door. A dark-skinned woman came to the entrance and, upon seeing his appearance, shrieked like a banshee.

 _Well, this couldn't be the first time he'd sent a woman screaming._

An equally dark-skinned man rushed to her side and together they ushered him into their home, showering him with words that he couldn't really understand but he heard words like Tony Stark and America and thanked fuck that the only link to SHIELD on his person was the second ID that listed him as a consultant for the mission. (He would never be a true Agent of SHIELD again.)

"Come, come," The woman offered in a thickly accented English. "You must be tired, hungry. You must eat and rest." She ordered.

"Yes, please." He muttered. He'd take anything at this point, considering that he'd made the mistake of not eating before the mission, but in his defense he'd been extremely busy. The last thing he remembered was the cry of a child before he passed out. Well then.

* * *

Loki was not in the mood to give an explanation. All Loki wanted to do, all he ever wanted to do was to curl up with his wife and be dead to the world. Unfortunately, the world didn't work that way and Clint Barton currently alternated between fuming at Loki and ranting about Tony's supposed secrecy.

"That will get you nowhere, Agent." A soft voice penetrated his thoughts.

"With all due respect, ma'am." Captain Rogers insisted. "We do need him to tell us where Tony is."

"Wherever he is, Anthony is fine. Loki would tell us otherwise, and in this case, no news is good news. If your Director, who knows fairly well what Loki is capable of, has not bothered us, do you not think that this will get you down the same path? You waste your time, Agents, and you would do well to try another method."


	9. Chapter 8: Homecoming

**We meet the kids! For clarity's sake, Tony, Liv and Loki are siblings. Tony and Loki were born to Maria and Howard as twins, and Liv's story gets explained later on. She's significantly younger than the other two because she's not Howard's biological child. Sigyn and Liv were kidnapped within a few months of each other by the same organization at complete random. The rest should play out in the story, but let me know if you'd like more explanation! -Cinderfire**

* * *

Tony awoke to find that he was moving, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Mr. Stark," Clearly Agent Coulson knew that.

"Whzrme."

"We're in a Jeep, Mr. Stark. Headed toward Stark Tower."

"Whnnat?"

"We touched down in upstate New York a few hours ago and drove from there."

Tony pondered this. It felt the same as when he'd returned from Afghanistan to Loki and Pepper and Rhodey. The same feeling of nervousness coursed through him now. The only true difference was the number of people. His sister among them. Great Norns, he hadn't seen her in years… He wondered what she looked like now. He hadn't gotten the chance to see her when they were clearing the bases, but looking back, he was glad. He probably would have gone berserk.

"Mr. Stark?" It felt like eternity, but was really only another hour.

"Yes?" He sighed. He was tired. He wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and flop down on his bed.

"We're here." Phil informed him. He shot out of the seat with a jolt and almost hit his head on the roof. _That_ certainly woke him up. He had people to see first.

Coulson raised an eyebrow, an amused look on his face.

"We do not speak of this mission." Tony growled. The Agent nodded. He knowing how Tony felt about having to show weakness.

"Good luck, Mr. Stark."

"I'm sure the others have questions." Tony snorted. No way was he facing this crowd alone.

The SHIELD jeep took off without them.

"I told you they'd be back." Sigyn's voice was the first to reach Tony's ears, and that made him roll his eyes. Loki had probably gone catatonic again. It didn't happen often, but if either brother was in anything resembling enough danger to put them on Death's doorstep, the other would feel it.

It wasn't Loki who responded, though.

"I'll believe that when I see it."

Since when did Hawkeye have any reason to care for his well-being?

"Loki got up and ate breakfast when yesterday he would barely respond to Sigyn. As strange as the situation is, it has to mean something." Steve offered.

Tony entered the common room to find his teammates and siblings spread among the furniture, staring at each other as conversation went on. His eyes landed on the girl who sat at Sigyn's feet. Dark brown, fade-to-black hair and sea green eyes that Howard had marveled at. Once tan skin that looked sickly pale, probably because she'd been in a cave for the majority of her life. She looked healthy, surprisingly enough, and although Tony was thankful for that, he didn't want to dwell on what could have happened to her while she was gone. She would tell him in her own time.

She unwound herself from her caretaker's legs and padded over on silent feet. Someone had gotten them new clothes, he realized, because Sigyn's former wares had been dirty, but not torn as the boy's had. All three of them wore fresh, well-fitting outfits. The girl stopped in front of Tony and kept his gaze.

"Next time I want to go on one of your missions, lock me in a windowless room and make sure the door is indestructible."

"Sure thing, kid. Did you eat anything?"

"Sort of. Lethal said we should take it easy, because the food here wasn't the same as it was there. I had a cheese sandwich with pickles and spicy mustard, and I didn't get a stomach ache like some of the others did. And I can still eat grapes. And… I guess we're not getting ice cream on Saturdays anymore."

"Give it a couple years and I'll consider it." Tony offered, only half joking.

The girl laughed.

"You think you're funny, do you?"

"Kid, I'm freaking hilarious."

"You're Tony Stark, is what you are." She scoffed. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You don't look very happy about that."

"At first, I thought you were going to end up like Howard." She admitted.

"So did I." He scoffed. "What made you change your mind?"

"You have Loki and Rhodey and Pepper. And _Captain_ _America_ is in your house. How did that happen?"

"I fought with a superhuman response team to stop aliens from taking over the world. After the battle, it made sense for everyone to be within reach and I had to remodel anyway."

"I like Pepper."

"You've met Pepper?"

"She came in yesterday, all panicked and stuff, but you couldn't tell unless she wanted you to. She wanted to talk to Loki, and Lethal went with them. I think she felt like you did." The girl admitted. "Only more. _She's_ not your sister, is she?" The girl asked, scrunching her face.

"No." Tony smirked.

"Good, because that'd be nasty. Is she gonna be _my_ sister soon?"

Tony blinked, confused, before he understood. Sigyn snickered and he rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to worry about that." Tony informed the girl.

"She is, isn't she?" The girl smirked. "Awesome! Can I be a bridesmaid?"

" _You_ can shut up and let me do things my way." Tony groused as she led him over to the couch, hopping with excitement. "I'm not-."

"Ready to tie yourself down to one person? Okay, _dad_." She snorted.

"Olivia!" He snapped. The boy on Sigyn's lap leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. Sigyn placed a warning hand on his shoulder and the girl, Olivia, flicked a hand in his direction. The boy relaxed, but kept an eye on the older man. Tony chuckled and turned to address the boy.

"What's your name, guard dog?" He snorted, amused.

"Jack, sir." He growled. He looked like he wanted to say more, but thought better of it.

"Despite what was previously indicated, my brother doesn't bite." Olivia assured Jack.

"I thought I was your brother."

"You're my nephew. It's pretty much the same." She offered. "It's just that my parents aren't the same as your parents. It doesn't mean we're not friends or family. What'd you want to say?"

"I don' 'preciate you yelling at Liv." Jack informed Tony. "The guards didn't yell at Mom 'cause she wouldn't let them."

"Me telling her to stop saying or doing something doesn't mean I'm going to hurt her. It means that she needs to do what I told her."

"Or what?" Jack asked, more curious than challenging. Sigyn rolled her eyes and smacked her son lightly aside the head.

"Or that." She responded sharply.

"Among other things." Tony scoffed, amused. "It's less of what I'd do to her and more that whatever she's doing is wrong and I'm correcting her. In this case, she was asking about something that some people aren't comfortable saying with people around."

"Like a secret?"

"Exactly. How old are you, Jack?"

"Sixteen, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir, Jack."

"I don't?"

"You don't call your mother ma'am all the time, do you?"

"Liv does. And I do sometimes. She's mommy when I'm not in trouble."

"Same idea. Her name is Mommy."

"What's your name?"

"Tony."

"I mean your first name." Jack insisted.

"Uncle." Tony offered, smirking.

"So you're Uncle Tony?"

"For now."

"What does that mean? Can you change your name?"

"Some people call me Stark."

"But that's _my_ name!"

"People can have the same last name, Jack. That's part of what families do." Olivia informed him. "And "uncle" isn't my brother's first name. It's one of his titles."

"What's that?"

"Something adults use to tell other adults apart. Like to you, Lethal is Mom. That's her title because she's your mother. To me, she's Auntie because she's my brother's wife. Loki is my brother, but he's your father. So you call him that. Or Dad."

"You called Uncle Tony that a few minutes ago."

"It was a joke. He and Loki are my older brothers." She explained, lip curled.

"So what's your title?" Jack asked Tony.

"Uncle." Tony said. "Because that's what I am to you. You'll probably learn more about titles as you get more used to things."

"What about them?" Jack asked, motioning to the rest of the team.

"They can be your aunt and uncles if you want them to." Sigyn offered. "Or you can call them Ms. and Mr."

Jack nodded thoughtfully.

"Does everyone have a name like you, Liv?"

"Kind of. My real name is Olivia, but you knew that. Tony's real name is Anthony, but only your mom and dad call him that. Everyone else has names like mine and yours, and you say their names after Ms. or Mr. Ms. is for girls and Mr. is for boys."

"So the girls with the red hair are Ms'?"

"Yes. And so are other women."

"Do I have to call you Ms when we get older?"

"We're friends, Jack. Only strangers call each other by proper titles. Everyone else gets to be mom or dad or auntie or uncle."

"So I can just call you Liv."

"Yes."

"People are weird, Liv. We just talked for a good five minutes about what word to put in front of someone's name."

"That's customs for you, Jackie. And there are a lot more where that came from."

"We'll never catch up." The boy muttered sadly, eyes wide with realization.

"If everyone knew everything about everybody then there would be no such thing as offense. You're not supposed to catch up, Jack. The point is to learn." Sigyn explained.


	10. Getting Info is like pulling teeth

Tony was in one of his labs that doubled as a workshop. Olivia sat on the couch he kept, watching with interest as he monitored some material he was fabricating.

"It's 2017, right?" She asked, the thought having occurred to her.

"Yes." Tony offered, eyes remaining on the machine.

"And I think I found Lethal the year after Howard and Maria died, because I remember you and Loki didn't have Jarvis anymore and Maria didn't read to us at night then. So that was when, 1992?" She checked.

"Also, yes. Is there a point to this?"

"So 2017-1992 is 26 but my birthday hasn't passed yet so I'm 25. Do I divide that or multiply by 365?"

"Multiply. What's the point, kiddo?"

"And between you and Loki, I was allowed to ask for 4 piggyback rides per day. So 9125 times 4 is… 36,500. That's how many piggyback rides I'm owed on top of the ones I'll already be collecting now that I'm back. I want my piggyback rides, Tony."

"You're not at all phased by the fact that you're supposed to be around 30?" The engineer asked warily.

"You _do_ remember how you found me, don't you?" Olivia snorted. "And out of the two of you, Loki doesn't age normally either. Do you think Howard meant to give you the short end of the stick?"

"I could blame it on genetics, but then I'd be lying because all our genes were scrambled… so no. He didn't mean to fuck up my aging process. He just ignored me as a result."

"Oh that's just brilliant!" Olivia cackled. "Can I use that? I feel like that should be my tagline."

"Not like Loki got treated any better. And besides, I'm the one who interrupted your procedure."

"But he's the one who started it… scary thought."

"About what?"

"Where did Howard get me from? I don't think there was enough adequate cloning technology for me to have turned out the way I did. Not even if he did introduce his version of the serum. He had to have something to start with… so who am I?"

"Honestly? I have no clue. I don't think you were stolen or anything. He would have kept some record of who to compensate if you were. He's a bastard, but not a thief, and up until you came into play, he only ever messed with what was rightfully his. I don't think he would stray from that." Tony offered.

"You were legally adopted." Loki informed them as he entered the labshop and stretched across the couch Liv sat on.

"How do you know that?" Olivia demanded, turning to stare at her oldest brother.

"I looked into some of the records he left. Wasn't much other than the fact that some foster care agency pawned you off in exchange for major cash. I think he was looking for someone who wouldn't be missed."

"And I was the best fit." She scowled. "If that's the case then what the hell were my parents doing with their lives?"

"We could find out." Loki offered sympathetically. Olivia shook her head. "No need to open up that can of worms. If I was adopted then there probably was no one to miss me. And if there is someone who does, they wouldn't be prepared to deal with whatever baggage I end up bringing along. I'm better off here."

"If you're sure, then we'll leave it alone." Tony assured her. "But feel free to change your mind."

* * *

Liv walked into the livingroom on the common floor later on and turned right back around. She would have made the perfect escape if Sigyn hadn't spotted her and motioned for her to stay. Liv nodded solemnly and slunk toward the woman she had seen as a mother for the past few decades of her life. There was no defying Lethal, no matter what name she went by.

"American Dragon is on." Jack's mother offered. Liv nodded more enthusiastically this time. She'd caught a glimpse of the crazy cartoon about a kid in New York who could shift like her, only instead of felines, he took the form of a dragon, and his shifting ability was seen as a gift by his family as opposed to the result of an experiment that deemed her a failure. It was nice to see a version of life that wasn't so cruel to shifters, even if Jake Long had his fair share of problems.

Sigyn was pretty much the only reason she bothered the stay in the room, much less on the common floor. Because sitting at the kitchen table, reading the day's newspaper was Captain America, and she knew that if she had to even look at him long enough, she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to, at the very least, punch him in the face. Sigyn caught the glare Liv shot at the living icon, and the goddess shook her head.

"Howard Stark's faults do not rest on Steve Rogers' shoulders... broad as they are."

Olivia let herself snicker at Lethal's weak attempt at a joke. It didn't chase off her burning need to smother the good Captain in his sleep, but it did offer something of a distraction.

" _American Dragon!_ "

" _Jake! Get back to work!"_

" _Aw man!_ " The boy whined, whacking the gong that appeared out of nowhere with his mop. Olivia narrowed her eyes.

"He should be dead." The young woman snorted.

"Normal people don't live like we did." Lethal reminded her gently. "Jake Long is doing chores for his uncle because he was _asked_ to. The people who put us to work _made_ us clean for them. The ones in charge made money from our services."

"And killed off whoever didn't do a good job." Liv scoffed. "Or was the pile of bodies back there just to trick us into being good?"

"The pile of-. Olivia!" The way Sigyn's voice quivered is what made the sullen girl look up.

"What?" Liv scowled.

" _Please_ tell me you didn't go down there."

"Some times, it was the only reason I remembered there was a Tony to get back to." Liv admitted. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"You weren't supposed to see that... they swore that you and Jack would never find that place."

"Someone lied." Liv deadpanned. "A lot."

Sigyn groaned put her head in her hands.

A wave of sadness swept over Liv and she leaned against her caretaker's legs.

"It's not your fault." She insisted. "It's not your fault and it's not Jack's or Tony's or Captain America's." The younger newcomer scoffed. "I make my own choices."

"Damn right." Sigyn growled. "Just make sure they're good ones from now on. Anyway, whats got you hating on Captain America?"

"Would you like the abridged version or my life story?" Liv chuckled darkly.

 _I'm probably going to regret asking, but..._

"Just how much did Howard's stories influence your childhood?" Steve wondered aloud. Normally, he wouldn't get involved in a conversation he wasn't already in, but apparently he needed to set some things straight.

Olivia laughed. She really couldn't help it. Here was her brothers' icon, the family legend in the flesh, and he had no clue just how far along he was on the siblings' shit list.

"Life story it is." She purred.

 _I can't wait to see the look on that poor bastard's face..._


End file.
